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A09465 A treatise of mans imaginations Shewing his naturall euill thoughts: His want of good thoughts: The way to reforme them. Framed and preached by M. Wil. Perkins. Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Piersonn, Thomas. 1607 (1607) STC 19751; ESTC S100455 58,962 240

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hath not true repentance in his heart Thirdly we must seeke to reforme our minde of euill thoughts this is a further matter then reformation of life And it is expressely commanded by the holy ghost Be ye renued in the spirit of your minds that is in the most inward and secret part of your soules euen where the thoughts and imaginations are framed and cōceiued This duty must be remembred for Christian religion consisteth not in outward shewes and behauiour though thereby we may giue comfortable testimony of Gods inward graces but it standes principally in the mind and in the heart which must therefore be reformed with the powers and faculties thereof CHAP. VIII Rules for the reformation of our euill thoughts Sect. 1. Our thoughts must be brought into obedience to God FOr the reformation of our thoughts sundrie rules must be obserued first That we bring all our thoughts into the obedience of God Euery man will grant that words and actions must be in subiection but I say further euery thought in the mind must be conceiued in obedience to God and no otherwaies Salomon saith establish thy thoughts by counsell which may admit this meaning that a man must not conceiue a thought in his minde vnlesse he haue counsell and warrant from the word of God so to thinke And S. Paul saith The weapons of our warrefare speaking of the preaching of the gospell are not carnall but mightie through God to throw downe holds casting downe the Imaginations and every thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ giuing vs to vnderstand that those who submit themselues to the ministrie of the word must be of this mind not onely to be conformable therevnto in word and action but in every thought of their minde euen those must bowe the knee to Christ howsoeuer with men we say thought is free yet with God it is not so And indeed he which hath effectually receiued the grace of Christ will endeauour to yeild obedience as well in thought as in word and action Whatsoeuer things are true saith Paul Whatsoeuer things are honest whatsoeuer things are iust pure and pertaine to loue whatsoeuer things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise he saith not onely doe these things but thinke on these things where the commandement is plaine that a mans thoughts must be holy pure iust and of such things as are praiseworthy and of good report that so they may be conceiued in obedience to God Sect. 2. Of the guarding of our hearts The second rule for the reformation of our thoughts is giuen by Salomon keepe or countergard thy heart aboue all watch and ward that is guard and keepe thy heart more thē any thing that is watched or guarded whether citie house treasure or such like and the reason adioyned sheweth the necessities of the rule for out of it come the issues of life In the right guarding of the heart three duties must be performed first we must couenant with our outward senses resoluing fully with our selues by Gods grace that none of them shal be the instruments the beginning or occasion of any sinne in heart or life This couenant Iob made with his eies not to looke vpon a maid to lust after her And David prayed the Lord to direct and keepe his eies from beholding vanitie Now looke how these holy men dealt with their eyes so must wee proportionably deale for all the outward senses of our body bynding them all after their example from being the meanes of prouocation to any sinne This dutie is most necessarie for the outward senses be the doores windowes of the soule and vnlesse good care be had thereto the deuill will enter in by them and fill the soule with all corruption Secondly we must obserue our euill thoughts and at their first arysing stop and restraine them not suffering them to take any place in our hearts this is a speciall meanes to preserue and guard the heart for frō the thoughts proceede all bad desires corrupt affections euill words actions the minde must first conceiue before the will can desire or the affections bee delighted or the members of the bodie practise any thing so that whatsoeuer is of a loose life and bad behauiour it commeth from the prophanesse of his heart in evill thoughts neither can it bee hoped that any man should reforme his life that will not guard his heart and keepe his mind from wicked imaginations the deuill cannot worke his will vpon mans affections or preuaile ouer mans will but by thoughts therefore it is necessarie that the first motions of euill in the minde bee restrayned at the beginning Thirdly wee must with all care cherish and maintaine every good motion of Gods spirit that is caused in vs by the ministerie of the word or by the aduise of Gods children for these are the sparkes and flames of grace which Paul meaneth when he saith quench not the spirit Sect. 3. Of the eleuation of the heart to God Thirdly for the reformation of our thoughts wee must often vse eleuation of minde and heart to heauen where Christ sitteth at the right hand of his father Thus did Dauid vnto thee oh Lord doe I lift vp my soule And Paule saying of himselfe other Christians that they had their conversation in heauen signifieth thus much that not onely their studies and meditations but also their dealings in the worlde were heauenly S. Iames bids vs drawe neere to God nowe which way should a poore wretch here below drawe neere to God but by lifting vp his heart to the throne of grace in heauen that so God in mercie may drawe neere vnto him by grace The Lord hath instituted in his Church the vse of his last supper wherein the giuing and receiuing of bread and wine doth represent and seale vp vnto vs our communion and participation of the bodie and blood of Christ giuen for our redemption Now the principall action on our behalfe therein required is this Eleuation of the heart vnto God as well for the contemplation of Gods infinite mercie in Christ of Christs endlesse loue to vs as for the application of his merits to our owne soules by the hand of faith as also for the spirituall resignation of ourselues in soules and bodies by way of thankfulnes to him that hath redeemed vs. Further touching this Eleuation wee must remember that it ought to be our continuall and ordinarie action vnto God for as it is with him that keepes a clocke vnlesse hee doe euery day winde vp the weights which are alwaies going downeward the clocke will stand so it fareth with vs our hearts are euer drawing towards the earth and the thinges heere below by reason of that bodie of sinne which hangeth on so fast and presseth downe and
wickednes of the Imaginations of man● heart and here he saith he will not proceed to curse the earth againe and againe by the same punishment because the Imaginations of mans heart are euill euen from his youth as if hee should say I haue once drowned the worlde for the wickednes of mans inventions but if I should thus proceede to deale with man according to the wicked imagination of his heart I must bring euery yeare a new flood vpō the earth because I see the frame of mans heart is euill continually Here then obserue that God in the preseruation of mankind doth temper and moderate his iustice by mercie for if he should deale according to mans deserts hee should euery day bring curses vpon him yea so soone as a man is borne hee should be destroyed but God dealeth not so rigorously hee mingleth mercy with iustice whereby the whole frame of heauen and earth the state of man and all societies doe stand That which Habacuke prayed for In iustice or wrath remember mercie the Lord hath performed euer since the flood yea since the fall of Adam There bee three great and weightie causes which mooued God to temper iustice with mercie for the preseruation of mankinde and other creatures first that hereby hee might shew his patience long suffering towards the vessells of wrath as the Apostle speaketh that is towards such as will not repent that at the last day they may bee most iustly condemned Secondly that there may bee a companie of men vpon earth which may worshipe God for God hath speciall care of his owne glorie among men and therefore tempers iustice with mercie in their preseruation that they might glorifie him Psal. 130. vers 4. there is mercie or pardon with thee that thou maist bee feared that is wheras oh Lord thou mightest in iustice throwe all men to hell suddenly yet in mercie thou pardonest the sinnes of some for this end that they might worship thee feare being put for worship and obedience Thirdly and principally that the elect and chosen of God might bee gathered for God in his eternall counsell and decree hath appointed and set downe a certaine number of men vnto whom hee will giue eternall life and for their cause doth hee spare the whole worlde from daylie destruction but when that number shall bee accomplished then shall heauen and earth goe together and the worlde shall bee no more And here by the way this third cause of the continuance of nature must teach vs our dutie to wit that seeing it pleaseth God in mercie to giue vs liberty to liue a space of time in this worlde some twentie some thirtie ●ome fourtie or fiftie yeares and that for this ende that heerein wee might bee fitted for his kingdome when as in the rigour of his iustice hee might haue cast vs to hell in our mothers wombe or so soone as we were borne wee therefore must bee carefull not to despise this long-suffering patience of God but rather labour in the feare of God that it may become salvation vnto vs by our conscionable endeauour in all such meanes vnto the ende as hee hath sanctified for the working of the graces of life in the hearts of his children And thus much for the reason in generall CHAP. II. Sect. 1. The illnesse of mans naturall cogitations THat wee may the better perceiue in this reason the state of man in respect of his naturall Imaginations the words are more particularly to be vnfolded For the Imaginations of mans heart c. The heart in Scripture is taken sundrie waies sometimes for that fleshie part of man in the middle of the bodie which is the fountaine of vitall blood sometime for the soule of man sometime for the faculties of the soule and sometime for the middle of any thing as the heart of the sea the heart of the earth that is the middle thereof Heere it is taken for the vnderstanding facultie of the soule whereby man vseth reason which S. Paule calleth the spirit of the minde By Imaginations hee meaneth the frame or framing of the heart And this is taken two waies of some for the naturall disposition of the vnderstanding after the fall of man of others for that which the minde and vnderstanding by thinking frameth plotteth and deuiseth that is for the effect thereof Wee may take it both waies yet I rather approoue the latter for Chap. 6. 5. the Lord saith Hee wil once destroy all flesh and giueth this reason for the frame and thought of mans heart is euill continually Where by thoughtes or Imaginations can nothing else bee meant but that which is deuised and plotted in the thoughtes of mans heart so Salomon speaking of an heart which God hateth saith it is framing or thinking thoughtes of wickednes Prov. 6. 18. By mans heart we must not vnderstand the heart of some particular persons as of those that liued in the old world alone but of all men generally man beeing put for whole mankind Is euill that is it imagineth and thinketh that which is against the lawe of God From his childhood that is so soone as he beginneth to thinke to reason or conceiue of any thing so soone doth hee imagine conceiue that which is euill so that the whole meaning is this The minde vnderstanding part of man is naturally so corrupt that so soone as he can vse reason he doth nothing but imagine that which is wicked and against the lawe of God The words thus explaned containe in them two maine points touching the frame of mans heart by nature The first is this The imagination and conceite of euery man is naturally euill This appeareth not onely in this place but else where Rom. 8. 5. The wisdome of the flesh is not an enemie but emnitie against God Againe such as the fountaine is such are the streames that flowe thence But our minde and vnderstanding the fountaine of our thoughts is by nature sinfull To the impure their mindes and consciences are defiled And againe of our selues we are not able to thinke a good thought and therefore the thoughtes that come from thence must needes also bee corrupt Mans imagination stands in thoughts the vnderstanding deviseth by thinking And these thoughts of the Imagination are all naturally wicked from the heart saith Christ proceede evill thoughts and Salomon saith the thoughts of the wicked as all men are by nature are an abhom nation to the Lord. Sect. 2. Howe the naturall thoughts of man may be knowne Seeing that naturall Imagination is practised by euill thoughtes wee must something consider of the naturall thoughts of man And herein handle these two poynts F●rst whether the thoughtes of man may bee knowne secondly what the naturall thoughts of man be For the first there are two waies to knowe mans thoughts either directly without meanes or indirectly by meanes The first way is proper to God alone for no creature in